Chromebook keyboard shortcuts

To complete tasks quickly, you can use keyboard shortcuts. To find shortcuts on this page, press Ctrl + f and type what you want. To find all keyboard shortcuts, press Ctrl + Search + s.

Important: This article is only for US Chromebook customers with a standard English QWERTY keyboard. If you have an international keyboard, you can also follow the steps below.

To find keyboard shortcuts:

  1. On your Chromebook, at the bottom right, select the time.
  2. Select Settings .
  3. Under "Device," select Keyboard and inputs and then View keyboard shortcuts.
Chromebook keyboard shortcuts

Shortcuts on external keyboards

If you use a Windows or Mac keyboard, press the Windows key or Command key instead of Search key or Launcher key .

To change how a specific keyboard key works:

  1. On your chromebook, at the bottom right, select the time.
    • Or press Alt + Shift + s.
  2. Select Settings .
  3. Under "Device," select Keyboard and inputs.
  4. Change the function of one or more keys.

Popular shortcuts

  • Take a screenshot: Press Ctrl + Show Windows .
  • Take a partial screenshot: Press Shift + Ctrl + Show windows , then select and drag.
  • Take a screenshot on tablets: Press Power button + Volume down button.
  • To access more screenshot features: Press Ctrl + Shift + Show windows , then select a screenshot feature from the toolbar.
  • To access more screenshot features on tablets: Press and hold the Power button, select Screen capture or select time and then Screen capture. Learn more about screenshot features.
  • Turn Caps Lock on or off: Press Search + Alt.
    • Or press Launcher + Alt.
  • Lock your screen: Press Search + l.
    • Or press Launcher + l.
  • Sign out of your Google Account: Press Shift + Ctrl + q (twice).
  • Check all keyboard shortcuts: Press Ctrl + Search + s.

EXPAND ALL COLLAPSE ALL

All other shortcuts

Important: Depending on your keyboard, you can press the Search key or the Launcher key for some shortcuts. Both keys work the same.

Tabs & windows
Open a new window Ctrl + n
Open a new window in Incognito mode Ctrl + Shift + n
Open a new tab Ctrl + t
Open a file in the browser Ctrl + o
Close the current tab Ctrl + w
Close the current window Ctrl + Shift + w
Reopen the last tab or window you closed Ctrl + Shift + t
Go to tabs 1-8 in the window Ctrl + 1 through Ctrl + 8
Go to the last tab in the window Ctrl + 9
Go to the next tab in the window Ctrl + Tab
Go to the previous tab in the window Ctrl + Shift + Tab
Switch quickly between windows Press and hold Alt, press Tab until you get to the window you want to open, then release. You can also press and hold Alt, then press Tab, and select a window with the left or right arrow keys, mouse, or touch.
Open the window you used least recently Press and hold Shift + Alt, press Tab until you get to the window you want to open, then release.
Go to previous page in your browsing history Alt + Left arrow
Go to the next page in your browsing history Alt + Right arrow
Open the link in a new tab in the background Press Ctrl and click a link
Open the link in a new tab and switch to the new tab Press Ctrl + Shift and click a link
Open the link in a new window Press Shift and click a link
Open the link in the tab Drag the link to the tab's address bar
Open the link in a new tab Drag the link to a blank area on the tab strip
Open the webpage in a new tab Type a web address (URL) in the address bar, then press Alt + Enter
Return the tab to its original position While dragging the tab, press Esc
Dock a window on the left Alt + [ (left square bracket)
Maximize window Alt + =
Minimize window Alt + - (minus)
Dock a window on the right

Alt + ] (right square bracket)

Switch windows between screens (when your Chromebook is connected to a monitor)

Search + Alt + m (or)
Launcher + Alt + m

Page & web browser
Page up Alt + Up arrow
Page down Alt + Down arrow
Scroll down the web page Space bar
Go to top of page Ctrl + Alt + Up arrow
Go to bottom of page Ctrl + Alt + Down arrow
Print your current page Ctrl + p
Save your current page Ctrl + s
Reload your current page Ctrl + r
Reload your current page without using cached content Ctrl + Shift + r
Zoom in on the page Ctrl and +
Zoom out on the page Ctrl and - (minus)
Reset zoom level Ctrl + 0
Stop the loading of your current page Esc
Right-click a link Press Alt and click a link
Open the link in a new tab in the background Press Ctrl and click a link
Save the link as a bookmark Drag link to bookmarks bar
Save your current webpage as a bookmark Ctrl + d
Save all open pages in your current window as bookmarks in a new folder Ctrl + Shift + d
Search the current page Ctrl + f
Go to the next match for your search Ctrl + g or Enter
Go to the previous match for your search Ctrl + Shift + g or Shift + Enter
Go to an inactive information field Alt + Shift + a
Perform a Google search Ctrl + k (or)
Ctrl + e
Add www. and .com to your input in the address bar, then open the page Ctrl + Enter
Check page source Ctrl + u
Show or hide the Developer Tools panel Ctrl + Shift + i
Navigate to selected section in the Developer Tools panel Ctrl + Shift + c
Open the Console tab in the Developer Tools panel Ctrl + Shift + j
Show or hide the bookmarks bar Ctrl + Shift + b
Show the toolbar Alt + Shift + t
Open the History page Ctrl + h
Open the Downloads page Ctrl + j
Delete selected Autofill suggestion when filling out a form Shift + Alt + Backspace
System & display settings
Open the Files app Shift + Alt + m
Preview a file in the Files app Select the file, then press Space
Display hidden files in the Files app Ctrl + . (period)
Open the status area (where the time appears) Shift + Alt + s
Click icons 1-8 on your shelf Alt + 1 through Alt + 8
Click the last icon on your shelf Alt + 9
Use function keys Search + your preferred function key (or)
Launcher + your preferred function key
Check your notifications Shift + Alt + n
Change screen resolution Ctrl + Shift and + or - (minus)
Reset screen resolution to default Ctrl + Shift + 0
Rotate screen 90 degrees Ctrl + Shift + Rotate
Switch to the next user Ctrl + Alt + . (period)
Switch to the previous user Ctrl + Alt + , (comma)
Text editing
Turn Caps Lock on or off Search + Alt (or)
Launcher + Alt
Select everything on the page Ctrl + a
Select the content in the address bar Ctrl + l or Alt + d
Select the next word or letter Ctrl + Shift + Right arrow
Select text to the end of the line Search + Shift + Right arrow (or)
Launcher + Shift + Right arrow
Select text to the beginning of the line Search + Shift + Left arrow (or)
Launcher + Shift + Left arrow
Select previous word or letter Ctrl + Shift + Left arrow
Move to the end of the next word Ctrl + Right arrow
Move to the start of the previous word Ctrl + Left arrow
Move to beginning of the line Search + Left arrow (or)
Launcher + Left arrow
Move to end of the line Search + Right arrow (or)
Launcher + Right Arrow
Go to end of document Search + Ctrl + Right arrow (or)
Launcher + Ctrl + Right arrow
Go to beginning of document Search + Ctrl + Left arrow (or)
Launcher + Ctrl + Left arrow
Open clipboard menu Search + v (or)
Launcher + v
Tip: You can navigate the clipboard menu with the tab or arrow keys.
Copy selected content to the clipboard Ctrl + c
Tip: You can select up to 5 items to copy to your clipboard.
Paste content from the clipboard Ctrl + v
Paste content when clipboard menu is open Enter
Paste content from the clipboard as plain text Ctrl + Shift + v
Cut Ctrl + x
Delete the previous word Ctrl + Backspace
Delete the next letter (forward delete) Alt + Backspace
Undo your last action Ctrl + z
Redo your last action Ctrl + Shift + z

Switch between the keyboard languages you've set

Learn how to choose your keyboard language.

Ctrl + Shift + Space

Switch to the previous keyboard language you were using.

Learn how to choose your keyboard language.

Ctrl + Space
Dim keyboard (for backlit keyboards only) Alt +
Make keyboard brighter (for backlit keyboards only) Alt +
Insert an emoji Search + Shift + Space (or)
Launcher + Shift + Space
Text app
New file in a new tab Ctrl + n
New file in a new window Ctrl + Shift + n
Find in current file Ctrl + f
Open file dialog Ctrl + o
Delete line Ctrl + d
Indent the current line by one indent unit Ctrl + ]
Dedent the current line by one indent unit Ctrl + [
Save current file Ctrl + s
Save current file as dialog Ctrl + Shift + s
Print current file Ctrl + p
Jump to next file Ctrl + Tab
Jump to previous file Ctrl + Shift + Tab
Close current file Ctrl + w
Close window Ctrl + Shift + w
Show or hide sidebar Alt + Space
Focus the sidebar Ctrl + e
Zoom in Ctrl + =
Zoom out Ctrl + -
Reset zoom scale Ctrl + 0
Accessibility

Learn how to make your Chromebook accessible.

Turn ChromeVox (spoken feedback) on or off Ctrl + Alt + z
Turn on high contrast mode Search + Ctrl + h (or)
Launcher + Ctrl + h
Magnify your whole screen Ctrl + Search + m (or)
Ctrl + Launcher + m
Magnify part of your screen Ctrl + Search + d (or)
Ctrl + Launcher + d
Move around in fullscreen-magnifier mode Ctrl + Alt + Up , Down , Left , or Right
Highlight the launcher button on your shelf Shift + Alt + L
Highlight the next item on your shelf Shift + Alt + L, then Tab (or)
Shift + Alt + L, then Right arrow
Highlight the previous item on your shelf Shift + Alt + L, then Shift + Tab (or)
Shift + Alt + L, then Left arrow
Open the highlighted button on your shelf Shift + Alt + L, then Space (or)
Shift + Alt + L, then Enter
Remove the highlight from a button on your shelf Shift + Alt + L, then Esc
Switch focus between:
  • Status area (where the time appears)
  • Launcher
  • Address bar
  • Bookmarks bar (if visible)
  • The webpage that's open
  • Downloads bar (if visible)
Ctrl + Back or Ctrl + Forward
Highlight the bookmarks bar (if shown) Shift + Alt + b
Highlight the row with the address bar Shift + Alt + t
Open right-click menu for highlighted item Search + Shift + Increase volume (or)
Launcher + Shift + Increase volume
Move an app icon up, down or to the side in the launcher Ctrl + Up , Down , Left , or Right
Move an app in or out of a folder in the launcher Ctrl + Shift + Up , Down , Left , or Right
Use shortcuts on a braille keyboard Check braille keyboard shortcuts
Desks
Create a new desk Shift + Search + =
Switch to a desk on the left or right Search + [ or ] (left or right square bracket)
Switch to a specific desk Shift + Search + [desk position number]
Move a window to a different desk Shift + Search + [ or ] (left or right square bracket)
Move a window to all desks Shift + Search + a
Display all windows in your desk Alt + Tab
Display a different window in your desk Hold Alt and press Tab
Display a different window in your current desk Select Current desk
Display windows across all desks Select All desks
Set F11 & F12 keys

You can remap the F11 and F12 keys.

Important: These key options assume that the keyboard has Back in F1 position and Refresh in F2 position.

  1. On your Chromebook, at the bottom right, select the time.
  2. Go to Settings .
  3. Select Device and then Keyboard and inputs.
  4. Under "Built-in Keyboard," select Customize keyboard keys.
  5. Next to "F11" or "F12," select the shortcut you want from the dropdown menu.

For Chromebook keyboards with less than 12 top row keys:

  • The key options for F11 if top-row keys as function keys are on:
    • Disabled
    • Shift + Back
    • Alt + Back
    • Ctrl + Shift + Back
  • The key options for F11 if top-row keys as function keys are off:
    • Disabled
    • Search + Shift + Back
    • Search + Alt + Back
    • Search + Ctrl + Shift + Back
  • The key options for F12 if top-row keys as function keys are on:
    • Disabled
    • Shift + Refresh
    • Alt + Refresh
    • Ctrl + Shift + Refresh
  • The key options for F12 if top-row keys as function keys are off:
    • Turned off
    • Search + Shift + Refresh
    • Search + Alt + Refresh
    • Search + Ctrl + Shift + Refresh

Tip: This setting is disabled by default.

Related resources

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